As an Auburn fan, I am ecstatic over yesterday’s win over South Carolina for the SEC Championship Title. It’s always great to be an Auburn Tiger (win or lose because that’s how we roll). I was very happy over last week’s win over that team in Tuscaloosa. After all, elephants are much tastier than crow.

Last week, I was disappointed that someone screamed out “War Eagle” during the worship service. I felt it was very inappropriate and, in a sense, unsportsmanlike for all of the Alabama fans who might have been there (particularly if they were first-time visitors). Why can’t we get past this juvenile behavior for a couple of hours on Sunday? Why are our team affiliations more important than our Lord and Savior who we are supposed to be there to worship?

Could it be that even our worship has become all about us instead of all about Him? Do we truly go to church for God or do we go for ourselves? Doesn’t God ask that we give Him the glory, the power and the honor? Doesn’t He require that we give Him our worship?

This is the season to remember the reason we worship God. A very loving, compassionate, slow-to-anger, merciful God, out of the great love He has for us, sent His only Son to Earth to die for our sins so that we can have eternal life. Christmas is the time to celebrate His birth and a particularly special time to show others what God’s love means to us and for them. It is a time to sing Christmas carols, deck the halls, give generously, and worship extravagantly.

It is not the time to teach our children and non-believers that our football teams are more worthy to be praised, our football heroes more honored or our coaches more important just because they won a football game.

Lord, please forgive us when we get so excited over a football game that we forget that You gave. Please forgive us when we bring our excitement into Your house and forget that You gave. Please forgive us when we fill Your house with love and adoration for a team, a player and a coach and forget that You gave. Lord, forgive us for we know not what we do when we fail to honor and glorify ONLY YOU because we have forgotten that YOU gave. Thank You, God, for Your gift of eternal life through Your Son. A gift we cannot give ourselves. Thank You, God, for loving us in spite of it all. Amen.

3 Responses to Celebrating sports victories should not be part of worship service

Amen! Although I don’t agree with your choice of football team, I do agree with the way we sinners carry in our significance into worship when it’s all about Him…or should be. Based on our worth, we should approach Him with such lowliness that we’re crawling into the sanctuary and leaving dancing and shouting! Good post!

someone I respected said “God really has His eye on the State of Alabama. Look, two BCS champions!? That cannot be a coincidence. God is doing something great in the State of Alabama”. This person does not live in Alabama but he thought this was ingratiating to us. Does he really think God needs the celebrity of college football to prove his omnipotence? Such small thinking from such a big person. But bc he is human, too, I’ll let it slide, but I will be watching his priorities a little more closely.